pedro is being very selfish

[smazza]

but he is true to form talking about himself  as bosox are in first place

Pedro Martinez has stopped contract negotiations with the Boston Red Sox and will test the free-agent market after this season, the All-Star pitcher told the Boston Herald.

 

AP

The Red Sox are paying Pedro Martinez $17.5 million this season.  

 

Martinez has asked his agent to notify general manager Theo Epstein and team president Larry Lucchino that he would no longer talk contract with the club during the season, according to a story posted on the newspaper's Web site late Friday.

Martinez's agent, Fernando Cuza, did not immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press seeking comment early Saturday.

"I'm just really sad for the fans in New England who had high hopes that at this time I could say, truly, that I was going to stay in Boston, but now they're going to have to compete with the rest of the league," Martinez told the newspaper on Friday before the team was scheduled to play in Texas.

After the game was postponed by rain, Martinez was not available.

He is 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA in his seventh season with the Red Sox, and is scheduled to pitch Saturday.

"It is club policy not to comment on contract negotiations during the season," Epstein, who was not in Arlington, said through a Red Sox spokesman on Friday night.

 

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Martinez is making $17.5 million this season. He told the Boston Herald that he held no ill will toward the Red Sox.

"It's just business," said the right-hander, who is 170-69 in his career with a 2.62 ERA.

Martinez would not say what the chances are that he would re-sign with Boston.

"I don't know, I'm going to have to wait and see," he told the paper. "I gave them every single chance I could... I gave them every opportunity, every discount I could give them to actually stay in Boston and they never took advantage of it. Didn't even give me an offer."

The team and Martinez negotiated during spring training, but nothing was accomplished.